What is AAC?
AAC stands for Augmentative & Alternative Communication.
Augmentative & Alternative Communication
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What is AAC?
Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) refers to all of the ways an individual can communicate besides talking. AAC can be either no-tech, low-tech, or high tech.
No-tech and low-tech AAC examples include facial expressions, gestures, writing, drawing, spelling by pointing to letters, and pointing to pictures, photos, letters, and/or symbols.
High tech AAC examples include using a tablet with a communication app or a speech generating device.¹
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Using the Zoo Communication Board
The Zoo Communication board is color-coded to organize vocabulary based on a Modified Fitzgerald Key ². Each symbol has an outline specifically colored to indicate what type of vocabulary word it represents.
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Yellow = People
Green = Action Words
Orange = Places
Red = Needs/Emergency Words
Purple = Questions
Gray = Core Words
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Here are some ways that our board at Henry Vilas Zoo can be used!
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Make a plan as a group about where you want to GO by pointing to the word GO and selecting a symbol with an orange outline​​​
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Point to any symbol with a red outline to express needs such as food, water, bathroom, breaks, or a sensory bag with headphones
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Make a comment about a specific exhibit or animal by selecting LIKE or DON'T LIKE
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**Video Model Coming Soon!**
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How to Use a Low-Tech Board
A low-tech communication board can be used in multiple ways. Here are just a few:
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As a communication partner, you can model language by pointing to symbols and narrating to connect meaning.
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As an AAC user, you can point to symbols to make requests, make comments, express needs, and ask/answer questions.​​​​
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A Note on Accessibility
We designed the Henry Vilas Zoo Communication board with the intent to support interactions at the zoo for everyone, regardless of verbal status, but also recognize that there may be barriers for access to users that we did not anticipate in the design stage. If you have feedback about how to improve the signs, we want to hear from you! Please email _________.
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References
1. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). American Speech & Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/aac/
2. Thistle, J. J., & Wilkinson, K. (2009). The effects of color cues on typically developing preschoolers’ speed of locating a Target line drawing: Implications for augmentative and alternative communication display design. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18(3), 231–240. https://doi.org/10.1044/1058-0360(2009/08-0029)